About

George McCartee was born and raised in New York City. He engaged in business pursuits there, later worked as a railway superintendent in Iowa, and in 1858 moved to Salem, New York, where he was an agent and manager of a steam mill. In 1859, McCartee went to Washington, DC, as the private secretary to the Secretary of the Treasury. He held other positions in the Treasury, including superintendent of the Treasury Building, and he also went abroad during the Civil War to negotiate the sale of government bonds. In 1868, McCartee was made Acting Chief of the “Engraving and Printing Bureau” after a congressional investigation into the currency operations forced Spencer Clark’s resignation from the Treasury. McCartee was officially put in charge of the developing Bureau of Engraving and Printing in 1869. After serving more than six years as Chief, he resigned, citing ill health. In later years, while back in Salem, McCartee tried in vain to secure reappointment as the Chief of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. He managed the Salem Press newspaper and stayed active in local politics, gaining appointment as Paymaster of the Capitol at Albany, New York. McCartee died at the age of 70 in Salem, New York.